When you see a change, how do you determine whether its physical or chemical?

              

We have spent the last few weeks discovery properties of matter and the phases that matter can go through.  Our research and observations led us to one question, "When something changes, how do we know if the change is chemical or physical?" Using household chemicals, we went to the STEAM Lab to do some further investigating.  Students made several mixtures and observed them for things pieces of evidence like a gas being produced, color change, light being produced or temperature change.  Students measured a temperature change using digital thermometers that graphed their results.  The conclusion: if a temperature change occurs, it is likely to be a chemical change.